This is probably a question that we’ve all been asking ourselves lately. After just about one year into this pandemic, it’s understandable to have the urge to get out and travel again. As a flight attendant, my job relies on travel demand being high — and because of that, I may have a different opinion than a lot of people.
Keeping that in mind, here are my thoughts on whether traveling during the pandemic is irresponsible. (Please don’t come at me if your opinion is different than mine! I realize this can be controversial or taboo to talk about.)
Is it ethical to travel right now?
This question is definitely not cut-and-dry. There are several questions we should be asking ourselves to determine if pandemic travel is ethical or not. Here are a few factors to consider before making up your mind.
Essential vs. vacation travel
Are you traveling for an essential reason, or for fun?
Essential reasons vary based on who you ask. Most people can agree that traveling for work or to obtain medical care is essential. Traveling to reunite with loved ones or moving to a new city has been debatable and can vary based on changing guidelines.
Traveling to less-privileged communities
If you travel somewhere that has fewer resources, how would it affect them if you got sick? Are their hospitals overwhelmed? Would you be using resources that would otherwise go to a member of the community? How easy is it to get medical care in case you get sick (or get into an accident)?
These are important questions to consider if your goal is to be a responsible traveler. We may be used to a certain level of medical care in our hometowns that could be unrealistic elsewhere. Especially with the pandemic, hospitals and emergency medical services could be overwhelmed and unable to accommodate any serious injuries.
Communities that rely on travel during the pandemic
How would your purchases impact the community you’re visiting? Would you be spending your money at large chains or locally-owned businesses? Are you going to tip generously or otherwise give back to the people you could be putting at risk?
As we all know, certain economies around the world rely on money generated from tourism. Restaurants, hotels, family-owned businesses, tour agencies, and transportation companies have all taken a hit from lack of customers.
Vaccination rates
Have you gotten your vaccine? Have most of the people around you? What are the vaccination rates where you’re going? Have we reached herd immunity? These stats can determine how risky it is to travel.
So… is pandemic travel irresponsible?
Not necessarily.
It depends on the precautions you take. Are you driving to somewhere with a warmer climate, staying for a few weeks, laying on the beach the whole time, and taking care to avoid unnecessary contact with strangers? I think that can be okay.
On the other hand, if you’re flying to a place with looser restrictions and partying in public with tons of people sans masks, that is not great. It’s one thing to take a break for your mental health or visit family after taking the proper precautions. It’s another thing completely to disregard the pandemic and pretend it doesn’t exist.
Let’s talk about travel shaming
You’ve probably seen travel shaming on social media lately. Someone takes a trip somewhere, posts pictures, and gets mean comments about being selfish (or irresponsible, or a grandma killer).
While I think it’s okay to be concerned about others’ behavior, I don’t think it’s okay to harass people online.
For one thing, you don’t always know the backstory. Not everybody is throwing caution to the wind and being irresponsible by traveling. Travel for work can look like vacation travel a lot of the time.
Another point I want to make is that resuming normal life isn’t going to happen overnight. It’ll take guidelines loosening up and people slowly feeling more comfortable leaving the house. I think that we’re starting to see the beginning of normality return, and some people aren’t ready. That part is understandable — after a year of quarantining, return to real life can seem scary. But I think it’s something that we’re all going to have to cope with the best we can.
(This is assuming that travel isn’t restricted anymore and that professionals deem it safe!)
Post-pandemic travel
The question we’re all looking to answer is when the world will go back to normal again.
Our ultimate goal is to restart all the facets of life we’ve shut down as soon as it’s safe to do so. Moving toward that goal should be the priority. We can do this by vaccinating, continuing to wear masks, and social distancing as much as possible.
Additionally, once it becomes acceptable to travel again, I believe that it’s going to look quite different from what we’re used to. Post-COVID travel could look like a few different things:
- Vaccine passports that give more privileges to those that have been vaccinated
- Mandatory quarantine periods when entering a new country
- An emphasis on slower travel, i.e. spending more time in one place rather than less time in multiple places
Whatever form it may take in the future, traveling will restart eventually. It’s just a matter of time!
Thanks for reading this post! Hopefully, it’s raised a few questions and can provoke some discussion in the comments below. Look out for more posts coming very soon!
xoxo Niki
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Personally, I can’t wait to return to traveling. I’m refraining, though, for the sake of my loved ones even though we have our vaccines. It’s not worth the risk to me if it’s not essential. It’s also given me time to consider the most pet-friendly vacation spots. My pup and I are in it together!
That’s a very respectable way to go about it! Out of curiosity, at what point would you be okay traveling for leisure again? I know everyone’s risk tolerance is very different and it seems like there are no hard and fast rules here since the situation is so new.